Photogrpahy Forum

4/30/2018

Photographing Kilimanjaro

 

At 19,341', Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the highest free-standing mountain on earth. Its towering mass and beautiful white cap of snow and ice (so apparently incongruous on the equator!) make it one of Africa's most iconic natural wonders, and a notable photographic subject.

 

 

 

 

Kenya is Best - Theories abound as to why the Kenya-Tanzania border makes a sudden northward shift to allocate Kilimanjaro to Tanzania, but the most plausible explanation is that Britain "traded" the mountain to Germany in exchange for Zanzibar when maps of Africa were being drawn by European Colonial powers in the late 1800s. Be that as it may, it is widely agree that the most photogenic views of the Mountain are from Amboseli National Park, on the Kenyan side of the border.

 

 

 

 Foreground Attractions - Amboseli is a beautiful and game-rich Park, watered by runoff from Kilimanjaro's snowcap. With marshy grasslands, towering umbrella trees, and abundant wildlife, there is ample opportunity to boost the attraction of your images with compelling foreground subjects. The classic Kilimanjaro photo includes one or more of Amboseli's famed bull elephants (renowned for their large tusks), but everything from trees to flowers to birds can add interest to your Kilimanjaro shot.

 

Shrink Space With a Telephoto Lens - Although Kilimanjaro is actually 30 miles away from Amboseli National Park, you would never know this from most brochure photos. That's because they've been taken with telephoto lenses that appear to compress the space between the subject in the foreground and Mountain in the background, simplifying the scene and creating a sense of intimacy between the subject and Kilimanjaro. To do this, you need to be positioned a good distance from the subject, and set your zoom lens to a higher magnification (e.g. 200mm); if light permits, use a high f-stop setting (e.g. 16) to keep both the subject and Kilimanjaro in focus. Compose tightly to eliminate extraneous clutter, but be sure to include Kilimanjaro's snowcap.

 

Filters for the Advanced Photographer - A polarizing filter can help to darken the sky around the mountain, make the clouds pop, and reduce glare from the snow. A graduated ND filter can facilitate correct exposure for the darker foreground as well as the snow-capped mountain. Both filters can also produce negative artefacts, and it's wise to take shots with and without the filter to avoid regrets.

 

 

Do your Lucky Dance, and Be Ready - Kilimanjaro spends a lot of time hidden by clouds, and a good deal of luck is required just to see her in full splendor - fortunately there is a lot of wildlife and beauty in Amboseli to blunt the disappointment should she not reveal herself. As you're out on game-drive, keep glancing across at the Mountain, checking for a break in the clouds - sometimes you only get a few minutes, so be ready to take full advantage when the moment comes.

 

Click Here to view more photos from Pierre's March trip to Kenya.

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